Go Go Gadget Skates
by Charlett
Summary: Why did he always pull those skates out, anyway? It wasn't like he was any good at keeping upright and moving at the same time while using them. There must be a reason, and Inspector Gadget's little prodigy Penny couldn't let a mystery go unsolved.


Once upon a time I fell in love with an inspector. It wasn't one of those puppy love things children got for male characters who are strong, powerful, and great, it was a familial love one has for an uncle or aunt. Growing up with friends of the family, some of my father's friends became "uncle" even though they weren't related to me at all. I loved them just as much as I would my real uncles, sometimes even more.

A lot of my uncles never had children. If they did, he was adopted as a boy. Many of my aunts and uncles never saw a wild, ADD little girl rushing around and slaying imaginary bad guys. They wanted me to sit and be quiet and pretend I wasn't there. If I could choose an uncle, I thought, it would be Uncle Gadget, the fun loving, bumbling, happy-go-lucky man that would take me around when visiting various places and love me unconditionally, not lock me in a room with a movie when I was visiting and then expect me to send him Christmas Cards come holidays. I always wanted an uncle like Gadget, and that's why I fell in love with the inspector.

Even now, rediscovering my favorite show and falling back in love with him, I wondered if there were any well written stories that focused on familial love, rather than rambo noir dark fiction (which while entertaining, is still off putting to one who loves him as a friendly uncle) or pairing him with a love interest (which he probably is at least slightly interested in, regardless). I wanted to see if anyone else loved him the way I did. It seems there are very few fics here, so unfortunately I could not find one to fit the exact style I wanted to see, soooooooooo I wrote one myself.

I do watch both the original 80s first season (half of the second season makes me sob now) and the Gagetinis show, mostly because the latter is mostly written by people who know his character and still make him as lovable as always, but I want to do what I can to stick to the 80s. I'll flip back and forth as I see fit (if I ever get around to making more), but I tend to focus on character more than anything. That really means that it doesn't matter when it takes place in time, all it depends is how the characters interact with each other.

Sorry for walls of text. Anyway, hope you enjoy what I've got here. And now...

READ ON!

---

"Go Go Gadget Skates!"

Inspector Gadget's little niece Penny never understood why he used them. It wasn't like he was any good at roller skating. Even on those occasions when he wanted them rather than them just appearing because of his weird glitches, he would always either land on his face or break something important. Once he flailed around for five minutes straight until he ran into an end table and broke the vase that once belonged to her father. Penny tried hard not to cry openly in front of her uncle, but he could tell that she was deeply hurt. He didn't use his gadget skates for a long time after that incident.

It would be weeks later, when he had an important assignment and forgot momentarily about the previous accident, that he would decide to get quickly to the Gadgetmobile. "Go Go Gadget Skates!" and the eight rollers appeared under his feet before he could even finish his line. He then thrashed wildly as he tried in vain to keep upright and move forward at the same time. Penny cried out as he zoomed for the door. "Uncle Gadget!" She looked away, her hands covering her eyes, when she heard him slam into their front door. Brain barked loudly and Penny looked up at the ruined hinges that were a tell tale sign that there was once a door there. "Uncle Gadget!" she cried one more time, rushing to pick him up off the ground.

Penny never understood why her Uncle Gadget used those skates so often; perhaps they were just too much fun not to use? It wasn't like she skated before. She was just too busy being a braniac prodigy to do so. After dusting her uncle off and waving him goodbye as he drove away in the Gadgetmobile, she turned to Brain and ordered him to watch out for the inspector. There was a salute and the dog was off.

Penny stood for a moment as she watched her dog rush off before she herself went to collect her own items and give chase. What was so special about those skates? It wasn't that Penny shunned things she wasn't as good at, but she would rather get things done with items that she was good at using. She just assumed that it was the same way with everyone. She stepped onto the broken door, hopped over the broken glass, and collected her computer book, all while thinking about her uncle's loony actions. Perhaps… perhaps he did all of those things because no matter how bad he was at them, he still liked using them because he enjoyed the activity. Perhaps… perhaps Uncle Gadget applied fun to everything in his life; he must have been running off to stop Dr. Claw because he just couldn't imagine doing anything else with his life. Sometimes she wondered if she was also having fun helping her uncle, or if it was just because she felt she had to, simply to see him come home alive every night.

"So… if roller skating is what Uncle Gadget likes to do…" she said as she shouldered her backpack and rushed from the house, practically forgetting that the front door was open for anyone to enter (as if any small time petty crook would attempt to steal from the house of the great Inspector Gadget, anyway), "then I need to see how much of my allowance I still have…"

---

"Ah, Penny, you're home!" the inspector said as his little niece came up beside the picket fence. He was holding the new door in place with his two hands, and using two hat hands to hold the nail and tap it in, respectively. His head turned a full 180 so he could see her as she opened the gate and walked into the well manicured yard nonchalantly. "You're here awfully late; school ends at three. Where had you gone to?"

"You don't have to worry about me, Uncle Gadget," Penny said, smiling at his rotating head as she walked up the porch. She really had gotten used to all of his gadgets, so anything he did was just a cute quirk; she really was lucky to have an uncle as cool as her Uncle Gadget. "I just went to pick up something from the store."

"I just went grocery shopping yesterday," her uncle said as she entered the house to put her schoolbooks away. He hammered a nail in and pulled another out as Penny walked back out to meet with him. "Whatever could you need?"

"Some of these!" Penny dropped to her knees so she could pull open the box and show him what she had bought. The detective peered down into the little cardboard box and blinked.

"Are those roller skates?"

"They are." Penny lifted them up so Inspector Gadget could see them better. They were brightly colored and matched her shirt, as even a young scientific genius should at least know the first thing about fashion. She lowered her arms and smiled up at the detective. "I thought it would be nice to go skating once in a while."

"That sounds nice, Penny," her uncle said dismissively, totally unconscious of the undertones Penny had left for him. He then turned back towards the door so he could hammer easily.

Penny frowned lightly. She tried not to look too dejected as she looked back at him. "Uncle Gadget, won't you try skating with me?"

Realization dawned on his face when he heard her question, and he turned back and smiled at her in an effort to cheer her up. "No worries, Penny, I'll be right there! I just need to fix this door, and I'll join you when I'm finished. It shouldn't take more than a…" Just at that moment, his hammer slammed into one of the few hands that hadn't come from his hat, and Penny slunk away as the inspector leaped around, shouting loudly.

---

In a few moments, Penny had put on her helmet and elbow pads, and she moved to put her new skates on as Brain barked next to her. "Yeah, I haven't skated before, Brain, but I think it might be fun."

The dog looked skeptical as Penny attempted to stand. She was able to keep upright on the plush carpet, but she soon found that there was a problem: she couldn't move. She smiled sheepishly at her dog, who frowned and moved behind her. He placed his front paws on her back and pushed off a little too hard. Brain gave a yelp and planted his face on the floor as Penny was sent hurdling towards the door in a similar fashion to her uncle just yesterday. "Brakes, brakes, where are the brakes!?" She flailed mightily, afraid that she would be the next to break the door; the last thing she wanted was to give her uncle more work! She covered her face, and at the last moment the door opened.

"Penny, I fixed the door! I can…" Inspector Gadget whirled about as Penny zipped by him, nearly knocking him over. The detective grasped his head after it twirled around five times and righted it quickly. He then turned and used his hand to block the sun as he peered at the little girl on the skates. Penny tried to grab the picket fence post, but only succeeded in turning sharply and zooming straight down the sidewalk. "Wowzers, you really do take after your uncle, Penny! Look at how fast you're going!"

Penny reached out to grab a lamp post, but missed it by just a few inches. She was sent careening down the street with a squeal. "Uncle Gadget, help!" The inspector blinked when he heard Penny's cry for assistance.

His gloved hand disappeared inside his trench coat, and it was replaced with a megaphone that slid easily up to his lips as he chased his niece down the street. "Nice form, Penny! You're going so fast, good for you! Don't worry now, I'll be right there! Go Go Gadget Skates!" His roller skates appeared quickly under him, and he immediately started zipped downhill, straight for Penny, all while looking very similar to her as his limbs flew every which way.

Penny could hear Brain barking as he rushed after the two in a vain attempt to catch up to the family on wheels. She was afraid to try and look back at her uncle and dog; the last thing she wanted to do was fall and hurt herself. "Uncle Gadget, I can't stop! Help!"

"I'll be right there, Penny!" her uncle called into the microphone. He soon found that he was actually partially lying; he could never catch her with the speed she was already going. He'd have to add some rockets or something to his skates at a later time if he wanted to catch his speedy niece. Regardless, there was something else he could utilize. "Go Go Gadget Arms!" His gloves slipped away from his trench coat as his arms began telescoping towards his niece. The soft leather wrapped around Penny's arms, and she took a deep breath of relief as he drew her an inch off the ground and retracted his arms. Soon she was safe in his real arms, and she hugged tightly to his belt.

And then a thought occurred to the girl, chilling her to the bone. She clutched him even tighter than the feeling in her throat. "Uncle Gadget…?"

"Yes, Penny?" Inspector Gadget asked with an oblivious smile at his niece as the two flew by multiple telephone poles.

Brain barked madly as the two approached a sidewalk curb, which would definitely send them flying into the stratosphere from the speed they were going. "Uncle Gadget, how are you going to stop!?"

The idea seemed to occur to the detective right at that moment, and a hand popped out of his hat, carrying a lit light bulb. "Oh, you're right," he said as his idea slipped back into his hat, "Hang on tight now, Penny: Go Go Gadget Springs!" His springy legs went off immediately at the command, and the two were shot up two stories into the air. His rollers disappeared into his feet as they retracted with his legs, which withdrew straight back into his pant legs. Now there was only the problem of them getting crushed like melons on the sidewalk below.

Penny hid her face in her uncle's coat and muffly cried out, "Uncle Gadget!!"

"Not to worry, Penny, Go Go Gadget 'Brella!" A hand popped out of his hat and immediately opened up his favorite red and white umbrella. Inspector Gadget and Penny held onto each other calmly and nervously (respectively) as the umbrella slowly dropped them towards the ground. Brain rushed under the two and barked at them as they landed on the cement, and Penny fell on her rump when her dog leaped on her and licked all over her face, ordering her not to do something so dangerous again.

"Yes, yes, I'm okay, Brain. I'm sorry I worried you. I'm fine Brain. Hahaha, that tickles!" Penny giggled as Inspector Gadget dusted himself off.

Inspector Gadget took a deep breath of air as his umbrella slid back into his hat. "Yes, that was a great ride. I'm glad you didn't fall, Penny, although if you did, it was a good thing you put on that helmet and elbow pads. Your head is the most delicate part of your body after all!"

Penny took a moment of laughter until Brain finally released her, and she moved to take off her skates. "I think I've had enough 'fun' skating. Let's go home."

"Done already, huh?" her uncle asked, scratching his chin as she dropped the first skate to the ground and went for the second one. Brain fished around and pulled out the shoes she left at home. "I was hoping we'd have some more fun, skating around. How about next time we try something different?" He threw his finger up in the air and waved it around as he announced his plan. "I have just the idea: Rocket Skates!" Penny's smile turned upside down in horror. "Let me just order some rockets up and I'll have them attached to your skates in no time!"

"Oh, no thank you, Uncle Gadget," Penny said quickly as she applied her second shoe and stood up. It felt so nice not to slide downhill at a moment's notice. She would never understand why her Uncle Gadget liked to skate that much… "Maybe another time, without rockets?"

"Wonderful plan!" Inspector Gadget proclaimed, throwing his arms out wide, "Perhaps we could skate tomorrow…" Penny blinked when suddenly a hand flew from his hat and wagged its index finger at the niece as he stood upright, real hands behind his back. "…but you must remember that Inspector Gadget is always on duty! I may have to reschedule our little play date if any top secret missions come up."

Penny looked at her skates. Just thinking about the "play date" made her slightly ill. Not that she was afraid of her adventures with her uncle, flying straight in the air and freefalling for an eternity before being miraculously saved by an umbrella; it just wasn't her favorite activity of the day. And yet… looking at her uncle's beaming face as the two walked back towards home (with Brain carrying the skates, of course), she found the sinking feeling in her stomach slipping away. "Of course, Uncle Gadget. Perhaps we can go another day." She turned and looked at Brain, who frowned at the thought of Penny going out of her way to do something silly and dangerous. Before she had bought the skates, she would have agreed with Brain. At first she couldn't understand how her uncle could think that failing so hard at something so menial could be as fun as he thought it was, but looking at him being so happy and having so much fun with his niece, she found that she was beginning to understand, just a bit. "I can't wait until we can try those skates again, Uncle Gadget. We'll be masters in no time."

Her Uncle Gadget looked at her out of the corner of his eye. His walk was straight and to the point, and his hands were pressed stately behind his back. For someone who looked so statuesque, it was a wonder how he could be bungling around at a moment's notice. If anyone saw him now, they would laugh if Penny said the greatest detective in the world, Inspector Gadget, was just a few moments ago gliding down the road on skates he didn't even know how to use and practically getting himself killed. However, she could see the silly grin on his face that gave away his real personality; and yet… she could also see a little sparkle in his eye that made her cock her head in minor surprise. "You'd like to do it, Penny? You really do?"

Why, Inspector Gadget was truly glowing. Because Penny was always poring over some book or another or helping with the housework, the two found that when it came down to it, they really didn't have much in common aside from blood. Penny wondered if her uncle felt saddened by this fact. Perhaps… perhaps trying his best to skate, which nowadays was seen as a childish thing to do, was his way of attempting to get closer to his beloved niece? And all this time… she thought he was just being his lovably dopey self…

Penny grinned back and wrapped her arms around her uncle's coat for the fourth time that day and squeezed tightly; not because she was scared, but because she really did love him so much. "I'd LOVE to go skating with you again, Uncle Gadget."

"Terrific, I can't wait for tomorrow then!" Penny was about to reply, but the little girl gave a squeak of minor surprise as the detective scooped her delicately up so she could hug his neck easier. She did so, snuggling closer so she could plant a kiss on his cheek, and as the two entered their yard and house, Master Detective Inspector Gadget extended his arms like streamers and wrapped Penny multiple times in a gadget hug that no one could ever replicate.

The End~

---

It's REAL HARD writing slapstick Saturday Morning Cartoon in short story form, I'll have you know. Hopefully I didn't suck too much at it. I had help by having a not regular watcher of the show read it, so he could ask questions and therefore show me where to add things that needed to be said. So thanks for that Jat~

Anyway, Penny should have tried gardening. It'd probably be safer. Except not, with all of those chainsaws and hedge clippers flying around. Nevermind, skating's better.

Regardless, everyone consistantly sees Gadget slaughtering friend and foe alike with his many gadgets (on accident of course), yet you just never see anything bad happen with Penny around (Most likely because if anything DID happen Child Protective Services would be on him like a monkey on a cupcake, but I digress). I just wonder if anything ever happens in their mundane life that gets them into trouble. SO HERE WE GO I guess?

I dunno I didn't want to call him "Gadget" in this story so I kept adding titles each time he was mentioned. It sounds forced though, I'll probably just go with the flow later.

Regardless, please tell me what you thought about it!


End file.
